Carrilho, Altamiro (1924–)

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Carrilho, Altamiro (1924–)

Brazilian flutist Altamiro Carrilho, born in the state of Rio de Janeiro on December 21, 1924, is one of the most respected performers of choro, a Brazilian instrumental popular music genre. A precocious musician, he began his career at age twelve after winning an amateur talent competition. For many years he worked in a pharmacy during the day and played his instrument in the evenings. After forming his own ensemble, he had a television show in Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s. Altamiro's talent extended to popular and classical music, and beginning in the 1960s he was invited to give concerts throughout the world. In the 1980s he was an active participant in the revival of choro. Carrilho has composed approximately two hundred pieces for flute, has made an extensive number of recordings, and remained an active performer into the twenty-first century. He has been called a living legend.

See alsoChoro, Chorinho .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Encyclopédia da música brasileira: Popular, erudite e folclórica. São Paulo: Art Editora, 1998.

Livingston-Isenhour, Tamara Elena, and Thomas George Caracas Garcia. Choro: A Social History of a Brazilian Popular Music. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005.

                        Thomas George Caracas Garcia

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Carrilho, Altamiro (1924–)

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